


Dearly Beloved

by Hollyspacey



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fake Marriage, Family Drama, Slow Burn, Undercover Antics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2018-06-06 14:28:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6757828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hollyspacey/pseuds/Hollyspacey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy has 99 problems, and her first assignment for SHIELD is, like, 98 of them. </p>
<p>As if going back home to deal with all of the people who made her childhood miserable wasn't bad enough, she's also stuck in holy matrimony with a surly supersoldier who can't even deal with her under normal circumstances.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. We Are Gathered Here Today

**Author's Note:**

> Because I love it so, I am trying my hand at the fake marriage trope. Chapter 2 has some non-graphic descriptions of the effects of PTSD, so avoid the first part of that chapter if that is triggering.
> 
> Not Civil War or AoU compliant, because of reasons. 
> 
> Come to my [tumblr](http://hollyspacey.tumblr.com/) and we can cry over Civil War together.

Darcy wasn’t certain what to expect, but she knew that being called to the Director’s office for a meeting, and arriving to see an agitated Captain America sitting there across from Coulson probably wasn’t a great thing. Thoughts of being interrogated SHIELD-style or banished to a far corner of the earth flitted through her head. She gave Steve a small nod and turned her attention to the man sitting across the desk, “Son of Coul. How’s it going?”

Phil just gave her his unimpressed Agent stare and motioned for her to sit in the chair beside Steve. While not _officially_ a SHIELD agent, which, totally fine with her, by the way, Darcy did get a paycheck from the mysterious agency. After Phil and his little group of misfits had recreated SHIELD, she’d sort of fallen into the role of liaison between the group and the Avengers.

It was mostly because she’d gotten pretty good at it when Jane was still under SHIELD’s thumb. That, and she was pretty sure Coulson liked her. Well, _liked_ may have been too strong of a word, she was a serious pain in his ass. But he knew her and knew that she was reliable. After awhile of playing middle man, Coulson had come to her with the proposal of making it permanent with a paycheck and everything.

Darcy was not one to throw away a paycheck for something she was already doing for free. So, while Darcy was now SHIELD’s (paid) bitch, getting called in by the big guy wasn’t an everyday thing. It wasn’t long, however, that the reason that Darcy was called into Coulson’s office became clear.

“You want me to go back to my hometown? Oh, please no.”

Coulson had on his reasonable voice, “It’s a ready made story. You returning home won’t raise any red flags.”

“Oh, yes it will. I hate that place. Ugh, I’m gonna see everyone I went to high school with. And you know who else is in my hometown? _My mother_ ,” Darcy groaned, “Torture, Phil. That’s what this is.”

“That is a bit dramatic, Miss Lewis.”

“Maybe, but it’s still true. My mother is a living hell-beast. And my father’s not much better. And those assholes I went to high school with? The worst!”

Phil just arched an eyebrow and waited until Darcy finished her rant. After she collapsed against the side of her chair, the very picture of defeat, he cleared his throat and spoke again, “As I was saying. We would certainly appreciate your cooperation.”

Darcy cocked her head, “Is this like a New Mexico hey-we’re-here-to-steal-all-your-stuff kind of cooperation, or do I actually have a choice this time?”

Phil looked her in the eyes, and she saw the sincerity there, “You have a choice. But I’m hoping you’ll make the right one.”

Darcy sighed, her resolve disappearing. A guilt trip was bad, but it was better than being forced to do something she hated. She knew that if Phil really needed her for this, she would do it. Kicking and screaming and complaining, probably, but she’d do it. She was about to make her demands for agreeing to Phil’s plan when Steve spoke up, “This is a bad idea.”

Phil just took a deep breath and once again outlined his list of reasons why, yes, it was a good idea. Steve listened patiently, his face stern and unmoving. When Phil concluded his reasoning, he clasped his hands together and sat them on the desk, waiting patiently for the inevitable argument Steve was going to make.

Steve leaned forward and spoke as if Darcy weren’t even in the room, “She could ruin the whole mission, she isn’t trained to be a field agent.”

Kinda true, but also very rude, Steve.

“While she may not be trained for a situation such as this, I myself do not doubt that Miss Lewis is perfectly capable of handling herself. I would not have suggested bringing her into this if I thought it was a bad idea. Not to mention, her tech skills will be an asset in the field.”

Darcy shot him a small grin- praise from Phil was a rare thing and she was actually kinda touched. Steve took a deep breath but didn’t respond. He still didn’t look very happy. Darcy cleared her throat and spoke up, “Umm, while I’m so not thrilled at the prospect of being in my hometown again, if you need my help I’m in.”

Phil nodded and launched into an explanation of what the mission would involve. The op itself wasn’t too complicated. The suspected Hydra facility was a sort of hub for various members passing through. A place for secret meetings and all manner of evil plan-making. The rub was that the building looked like any old office building, namely because that’s what it was.

The second floor was rented out as office space to legitimate businesses, meaning that there was a constant flow of people in and out. Hydra had the bottom floor with extensive security. It was part of the reason this Hydra base had flown under the radar for so long. SHIELD was used to the big dramatic Hydra bases, carved into mountains or on sprawling estates. Hidden away in a plain, nondescript office building was not the usual Hydra move and it had served them well for quite a while.

Having civilians involved not only helped the facility blend in, but also all but prevented an outright attack. SHIELD already had a man on the inside who had secured jobs for both Darcy and Steve within the company fronting for Hydra. Darcy would be a secretary, and it gave her the perfect opportunity to gain access to Hydra’s files. Tony had given her this little flash drive that she could sneak onto one of the servers to get JARVIS in.

Steve would be working security, a job that would give him access to the facility at large. He would get to see the layout, as well as get a good read on who was Hydra and who was innocent. They would report back to Coulson and there would be a team on standby for when the time came to make a move. Everything was planned down to the smallest detail, their cover stories, the jobs, everything.

Darcy was to pack a small bag of clothes and other belongings, SHIELD had furniture and household stuff already that they would use. She and Steve would be a newly married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Steven Buchanan, a name chosen because someone at SHIELD had very low confidence that Darcy could get through the mission without calling Steve the wrong name. Darcy had met her dear husband at Culver, and after reuniting a few years later, they had fallen madly in love and gotten married. Yeah, ok.

 _Who is in charge of these backstories?_ , Darcy wondered. Luckily, Darcy was playing herself, so her undercover look involved simply adding a wedding ring. Of course, she did hassle a couple of new outfits out of Coulson for her trouble.

Steve on the other hand, couldn’t simply waltz into a suspected Hydra compound looking like the poster boy for truth, justice, and the American way. He got the unique joy of getting to wear one of SHIELD’s high-tech photostatic veil masks, so he would look totally different.

The day before she left for the mission, Tony called her into his lab to say goodbye and wish her well, “Please make it back in one piece, Lewis. No one else enjoys my wit like you.”

“Oh, yes. I adore it,” Darcy rolled her eyes, “You are just going to miss having me around to harass.”

“Very true.”

“Well, just don’t replace me with a newer, fresher lab assistant or I’ll have to defect and become a supervillain.”

Tony considered this, “You’d make an excellent super villain.” 

“I would, wouldn’t I?”

Tony grinned, before turning serious, “I just want you to be careful, kid.”

“I will, Tony. Steve will be there. He may not like me very much, but he’ll make sure I’m safe.”

“I know. I trust him. But I’m still worried about you. Don’t let him boss you around, and make sure that he is nice to you. I can’t have anyone being mean to my daughter, even if she is a pain in the ass.”

Darcy chuckled, “Shut up, Tony. You only wish I were your daughter because I’m so awesome.”

“True. If I’d known my spawn would be as cool as you, I may have actually had a few. But I didn’t, so now I can take out all of my paternal feelings on you.”

“Lucky me.”

Tony grinned, “Lucky you.”

“Well, seeing as I’m about to be in the same town as my real parents, maybe not so lucky,” Darcy grimaced.

“I know. Don’t let them get to you, you’re better than that. Just finish the mission and when you get back, we’ll consult a bottle of scotch about our respective familial horror stories.”

Darcy felt a lump in her throat, this man felt more like family than her own flesh and blood did, and suddenly she felt an overwhelming rush of gratitude that she’d forced Jane to take up Stark on his job offer.

Tony clapped his hands, “Alright, well I sense tears, and we all know that I don’t do tears, so be good, kid. Text me and if Steve tries to get handsy, let me know. I’ve been practicing my shovel talk.”

Darcy snorted, “Yeah, that’ll definitely happen. Keep practicing. Bye, _dad_.” She kissed Tony on the cheek and bounced out of the lab.

When she got to her apartment, she stopped and grinned at the redhead standing at her door, “Hey, Nat.”

“Hello,” she responded, following Darcy inside, “Are you all packed and ready?”

Darcy dropped her purse at the door and went to grab some waters for herself and Natasha. She slid the bottle across the counter to the woman who’d slid onto a barstool, “Not quite. I’ll finish later.”

“Are you ready?”

Darcy rolled her eyes, “As I’ll ever be.”

“I can tell that you are nervous.”

“A little. But I need to do this. I’ll be fine.”

Natasha nodded, “I know you will, _kotenok_ , I just want you to be very careful. I have trained you well, but these people are professionals. If you ever sense you are in trouble, there is no shame in running. I would rather you be safe than die a hero.”

“Thanks, Natasha. Your faith in me is inspiring,” Darcy said, dryly.

“Shh. You know that I believe in you, I just want you to return in one piece.”

“Me too, Nat.”

Natasha studied her, “The other thing I wanted to speak to you about is Steve.” She ignored the face Darcy made and continued, “I have already spoken to him about how he is to treat you. If you feel that Steve is being reckless or if he is simply mistreating you, I want to hear about it. Steve is not good at dealing with people sometimes. He sees those around him as soldiers, and I fear his vision is even more clouded when you are involved.”

“‘Cause he hates me, right?”

Natasha frowned, “Steve doesn’t hate you. He simply hasn’t given you a chance yet. This may be the thing that changes the tide between you two. Be patient with him, but firm. Don’t let him act badly.”

“Oh, you know I won’t. My ability to put up with bullshit has all but disappeared these days.”

Natasha grinned at Darcy and gave her a hug. “One more thing,”

Natasha produced a box and handed it to Darcy, watching as she oohed and ahhed over her gift. It was a delicate silver bracelet with three round stones on the top. “Nat! It’s so pretty.”

“It is functional, as well. These stones are actually modified Widow’s bites. Pull them off and throw them at an enemy and soon they will be writhing on the ground in agony. They are actually quite painful,” Natasha said with a faraway sigh that spoke from an unpleasant experience, “I had Tony make it for you.”

Darcy wrapped her arms around Natasha, murmuring her thanks and promises to text constantly.

The rest of Darcy’s day was riddled with visits from the rest of her friends. They all seemed excited for her to be going on her first mission, as well as worried for her. They were all deeply concerned, and Darcy thought to herself that it was a good feeling to have so many care for her when she was going to a place where she had felt so uncared for in the past.

Clint showed up with a goodie bag of all of her favorite treats and promises to record all of their favorite shows so they could watch them together. Jane and Thor showed up with takeout and enough love to tide her over from whatever might be waiting for her in her hometown. Bruce even stopped by to wish her luck and give her a brief hug.

Her last visitor before she went to bed that night was Bucky. He just walked into her apartment and flopped down onto her couch as she finished packing. When she was done, she flopped beside him and grinned, “Hey, you.”

“Hey back.”

“Did you come by with a rousing speech for me? Or a pep talk? Or a _gift_? Please tell me it’s a gift.”

Bucky chuckled, “Didn’t bring you nothing but my company.”

“Ehh,” Darcy grinned.

He gave her a playful shove, but he was grinning, too. “Do you feel like you need a pep talk?”

Darcy shrugged, “I don’t think so. I’m not really even worried about the mission, which sounds crazy, I know. But it’s like, there are procedures and stuff and I know who the bad guys are, and what they’re doing. It’s not as scary if you know what’s happening.”

“But you are worried.”

“I’m not looking forward to going back there. It’s not my favorite place. I’d much rather stay here and watch cheesy sci-fi with you.”

“You’re worried about being alone with Stevie, too.” What a perceptive little shit.

Darcy gave small nod, “Well, sure. Maybe a little. I’m not exactly his favorite person, am I? He barely acknowledges my presence, and we’re supposed to be convincing as husband and wife? Yeah, ok.”

“Give the punk a chance. I’m his best friend and I know just how infuriating the guy can be. But I also know that he’s a good guy. One of the best.”

“Maybe you should go along and pretend to be his wife.”

Bucky gave her one of his trademark glares, but she could see his mouth twitch, “Maybe. I would be a wonderful wife.”

Darcy giggled, “You would be the loveliest bride in all the land. Plus, Steve would definitely prefer you over me as his betrothed.”

“Like I said, give him a chance. The guy’s an idiot, but he’ll take care of you.”

“If he doesn’t, will you beat him up for me?”

“Sure, doll.”

Darcy considered this, “Shirtless?”

Bucky just tossed one of the throw pillows at her and chuckled, “You are a mess, Darcy Lewis.”


	2. In Sickness and in Health

The ride to her hometown was agonizing. Steve was not one for small talk, at least when it came to Darcy. He’d rather just sit in silence. So, Darcy pulled out her earphones and listened to the loudest playlist she could handle. She grinned at the thought that with his super soldier hearing, he could no doubt hear every song loud and clear. And if she purposely chose songs that she thought might be an affront to the delicate ears of Steven Rogers, well, that was her prerogative. 

Finally, Steve pulled up in front of the small house. It was a small, white house, older and not very remarkable, but it looked surprisingly cozy. Darcy wasn’t familiar with this part of town, it being _the wrong side of the tracks_ and all, and knew her mother would have a conniption when she saw where they were living. Good. 

She followed Steve into the house, taking in the furniture the ‘movers’, aka SHIELD, had already set up. “At least our stuff isn’t as tacky as I feared. SHIELD is not known for their interior design.” 

Steve just gave a cursory glance around the room, nodding, before pulling out his phone to check in with Coulson. Darcy finished unpacking some of the boxes left behind while Steve was on the phone. The only thing that gave her pause was the sleeping situation. There was one bedroom, as well as an office with a futon set up. She wasn’t exactly sure where either of them would be sleeping, so she just completely ignored it. 

When he got off the phone, Steve walked through the house, “You can have the bedroom. I’ll need the office anyway.” 

“Oh ok, if you’re sure.” 

Steve just nodded, and returned a few minutes later carrying her bags into her room. “I could have gotten that.” 

“It’s not a problem.” 

Darcy shot him a small smile. “Well, thank you anyway.” 

And that was the end of that interaction. Darcy wondered how they would ever be convincing as husband and wife, if they couldn’t even have a casual conversation without it being stilted and forced. She doubted they would even be convincing as friends at this point. 

Steve and Darcy were going over the mission files one final time before going to bed. Tomorrow was to be their first full day in town, and even though they weren’t starting their jobs for a few more days, Steve felt they needed to be prepared. Which meant rehashing every fact that might be important, especially about the known Hydra operatives involved. Aliases, backgrounds, pictures, everything. Darcy took special joy in the pictures, they all looked like ridiculous human beings. 

Darcy held up one of the pictures. “Look at this guy. It’s like he wants to look like a villian. How much do you think he paid for that toupee? More importantly, how mad do you think Fury would be if I bought him one?” 

“I don’t know. Can you just concentrate?” 

“Dude, chill. I am.” 

Steve shook his head, raising his voice in frustration, “I’m just saying that this isn’t a game. This is serious, Darcy, and I need to know that you are taking it seriously and not just playing around. Not everything is a joke.” 

Darcy set the picture down and leaned back in her chair, “This _is_ a game, Steve. You’re delusional if you think that this is anything but a game. It’s a game these Hydra assholes have perfected. They’ve been playing for decades, that’s why they’re still around. It is exactly a game, and we have to play it.” 

“I just don’t want you thinking that this is a situation where you can goof off and make jokes like you usually do.” 

She huffed a rough laugh, “Yep, that sounds like me. Stupid, immature Darcy.” 

“I didn’t say that. You’re not stupid. It’s just that I need to be able to trust you. There are a lot of people depending on us and we can’t mess this up.” 

“I have no plans to mess this up. I’m _in_ this, Steve. I can crack a joke and still be taking the situation seriously.” 

Steve shuffled his papers, “I just need you to know that this is bigger than you. More important.” 

“You mean _you_ are more important, I’m the liability here.” 

“If you are not serious about this, you are a liability.” 

Darcy glared at him, “That’s not fucking fair, Steve.” 

“I’m not saying it to be fair or to protect your feelings. I’m saying it because this is important and I don’t want you messing it up.” 

Darcy shook her head, a remarkably unamused smile on her face, “Here’s the thing, Steve. I know this is more important than me. That’s why I’m here. What you’re implying is that you are more important than me. And you’re right. I get it. In the scheme of things, I can’t possibly compare to Captain America. I mean, you’ve saved thousands of lives, fought Nazis, and you are literally a superhero. I’m a former intern with barely marketable skills who happened to be in the right place at the right time. I can’t compare to you. And that’s fine. I don’t aspire to be Captain America, I’m pretty fucking pleased to be Darcy Lewis. So, the fact that you matter more than me? I can’t fight it, nor do I care to.” 

Darcy stood up, leaning over the table as she stared at him, “But the thing is, right now, you and me, we’re here together. We’re on the same team, fighting the same fight. If we get caught, if shit goes sideways, my life is on the line same as yours. So in the real world, fine, you matter. But _right here, right now_? So do I, damn it. So do I. So treat me with a little fucking respect.” 

With that, Darcy stormed out and Steve sighed, his head in his hands. That did not go as planned. It didn’t seem possible that he could still, after all these years, manage to plant his foot so firmly in his mouth.

Steve studied the files for a bit longer, but his mind kept repeating his and Darcy’s argument. He didn’t mean to get so upset with her, but she could be so infuriating. This was a mission, they had to be focused. No time for silliness. Neither one of them could afford any missteps, he was simply making sure she understood the risks.

He felt that neverending weight on his shoulders, the one that always seemed to be there, the one that constantly whispered that everything could so easily fall apart. He could get her killed, or himself, or countless innocent people. It was a lot of pressure. He just wanted her to focus on the mission, be serious about it. But then the rational part of him reminded Steve that Darcy was not an agent, or a soldier. She was a civilian. 

This was all brand new to her, and maybe he needed to respect that, not be so harsh on her. And really, she was right. She could joke and still be taking things seriously. That in particular reminded him of Bucky. It was that thought that made Steve realize that he needed to make amends for snapping at her. He put the files away and walked down the hall to the master bedroom where Darcy was staying. 

With a gentle knock, he listened until he heard faint footsteps. The door opened and Darcy stood there in those ridiculous Iron Man pajamas Tony had bought for her in bulk, a raised eyebrow reminiscent of Natasha, and a glare that was all Darcy, “Yes?” 

“I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier. I know you’re trying, and I’m grateful that you’re here. I didn’t mean to make it seem like you weren’t important. To the mission, or in general, because you are. Important, that is.” 

Darcy considered him a moment, and nodded. “Ok. I accept your apology. Thank you. And I know I can be loud and silly and all that stuff, but I really am taking this seriously. I want to get these bastards, too.” 

Steve shot her a relieved smile and nodded, “I know. So, truce?” 

Darcy smiled back, “Truce.” 

“Alright, well, I’ll let you get back to bed. Sleep well.” 

“You too. Night, Steve.” She shut the door and Steve went into his own room to prepare for bed.

*****

Darcy wasn’t sure what it was that woke her up, the light sleep that comes with the first night of being in a new house, maybe a sound from down the hall, maybe just some sort of intuition that something was off. Whatever it was, it woke her from a deep sleep and had her sitting up straight in her bed. The glow from the clock showed her that it was nearly 3:30 in the morning. 

She sat in silence, ears perked to listen for any sound, but heard nothing, save the sound of her heart pounding. She reached into her nightstand and grabbed her taser, leaving the bedroom and creeping down the hall. The door to the guest bedroom, Steve’s room, was open and a quick glance inside showed it to be empty. 

Darcy straightened and started towards the living room, on high alert. When she reached the end of the hallway and saw the figure standing at the window staring out, she froze. Her heart started again when she realized it was just Steve. She said his name in a relief-filled voice. He didn’t respond and she walked further into the room, “Steve?” 

As she drew close to him, she realized that while he looked wide awake, he wasn’t really there. She knew what this was, she’d seen it before, and while she was kinda freaked out seeing Steve like this, it also broke her heart. 

Darcy stepped right in front of Steve and began saying his name in a steady, strong voice. His eyes began to clear and Darcy grabbed his hand and held it in hers, rubbing it softly as she spoke a litany of comforting words, “Steve. _Steve_. It’s me, Darcy. You’re ok. You’re safe. We’re safe. Wake up, it’s ok. You’re safe, Steve.” 

By the time she’d stopped speaking, Steve had woken completely. His eyes were clear, if a little confused and frantic, he was taking deep breaths, and his hand had begun shaking a little. But he was awake, out of that trapped state he’d been in moments before. 

Darcy gently tugged him over to the couch, sitting beside him. He hunched over, elbows on his knees and head in his hands, and looked at the floor as Darcy rubbed his back and spoke softly with her head against his shoulder, “It’s ok. You’re ok, now.” 

They sat there for a few minutes, until Steve gave a little shudder and stood. Darcy watched as he paced the room a few times. He grabbed the mask and his running shoes he’d left by the door and pulled them on. “I’m going for a run. I’ll be back later.” 

He returned nearly an hour later, walking into the kitchen to see a sleeping Darcy hunched over at the kitchen table. He lay his hand on her shoulder and spoke, “Darcy.” 

She sat up, staring at Steve. “Hm-wha- I’m awake.” 

Steve’s eyebrow rose. “I see. Go to bed, Darcy.” 

“I will, but come here.” 

She stood up and led Steve to the table. He watched as she began making tea. A few minutes later, she pushed a steaming mug in his hand, smirking as he hesitantly took a sniff. “Yeah, it smells kinda weird. Just drink it. It is some of Bruce’s special blend, supposed to be very relaxing. He swears by it. I remembered I had a bag of it in my purse.” 

Steve nodded and sipped the tea. It couldn’t hurt. Darcy poured herself a glass of water and sat across from him. He cleared his throat and spoke, “I’m sorry you had to see that.” 

She just shrugged, “It’s fine.” 

He stared into the cup of tea in front of him, not daring to look at her, “It isn’t. I don’t- that doesn’t happen often. You shouldn’t have woken me, though. I could have hurt you.” 

“No, you wouldn’t.” 

Steve frowned. “You don’t know that.” 

“Yeah, I do. I’ve seen that before. When someone has an episode like that, I know when to wake them up and when to get the hell away. You weren’t gonna hurt me.” 

Steve sat, thinking about her words, the certainty in them, and the fact that she really had been a soothing presence. She’d known just what to say and do to bring him back. “Where have you seen it before?” 

Darcy hesitated, shooting him a look that said he probably wasn’t going to like the answer. “Bucky.” 

“Bucky?” 

“Yeah. Sometimes he can’t sleep, or he’ll have a nightmare and can’t get back to sleep. So he’ll come to my apartment and crawl in my bed. Sometimes it’s just easier to sleep with someone beside you, ya know?” 

“But you’ve seen him like that?” 

Darcy nodded, clearly fighting with telling him something. He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging look. She took a deep breath, “Usually when he falls asleep, he’s out for the night. But every once in awhile he’ll wake up. Most of the time he’s like you were tonight. It’s like he’s on guard, but way more intense. I’ve found that when he gets like that I just need to talk to him, wake him up and bring him back, soothing touches, calm voice. It seems to work.” 

“You said most of the time.” 

Darcy, with a frown on her face, looked down at the glass of water sitting in front of her. Her fingers played in the condensation on the outside. “Yeah. Sometimes it’s the violent kind. JARVIS is really good about taking control of the situation, getting me out of the room and waking him up. But one night I was still half asleep, I guess, and I didn’t hear JARVIS or wasn’t paying attention and I tried to wake him up and-” Darcy shook her head, “It wasn’t good.” 

“What happened?” 

“He attacked me. Suddenly, we were both on the floor and he was on top of me with his hands around my throat. His voice was different, more harsh, and he was speaking Russian, and the look in his eyes… it was scary.” 

Her hand drifted up to trace her throat, as if she could still feel his hands wrapped around it. “But it turned out ok. I looked him in the eyes and stroked his back like I always do and whispered his name. And then he woke up and let me go. It was horrible. He avoided me for a few days until I made him get over it. I made a mistake, I don’t blame him at all. It was just a really scary accident.” 

“God, Darce.” 

She straightened in her seat and met his eyes, “And I want you to know that I’m only telling you this because you are his best friend and you know about his episodes anyway. I don’t want you to think I go around telling people his business.” 

Steve nodded, “I know. You are a good friend to him.” 

“Damn right I am. I love that guy.” 

He looked at her, “Why didn’t I know about this?” 

“I asked him not to tell you.” 

“Why?” 

Darcy gave a little shrug. “I know how you feel about me. I know that I come off as very silly and immature to you. And that’s ok. But, I just didn’t want you to think that what Bucky and I do is a bad thing. I thought maybe you might get mad at me for interfering or maybe tell Bucky to stop coming to me.” 

“I wouldn’t do that.” 

Darcy nodded. “I know. You care about him and you wouldn’t do anything to upset that. But again, I’m not someone that you particularly care for, and I’ve found it’s easier to fly under your radar sometimes.” 

Steve hated that Darcy felt that way. Sure, he probably wasn’t the most welcoming to her, and he did think that she was too childish sometimes, but he felt something gnawing at him at her easy acceptance of his dislike of her. And it wasn’t really even that he disliked her, exactly. There was just something about the way she’d wormed her way into everyone’s lives. 

When she’d first shown up and joined their little group, it seemed he couldn’t get away from her. From everyone talking about how cool she was, how fun. Even Natasha seemed enamored with her. 

All Steve wanted to do was buckle down and find Bucky, and here was this pretty, young girl skipping around the Tower, flirting shamelessly, forcing everyone into movie nights and dance parties and Nerf fights, and Steve didn’t want any part of it. Couldn’t be any part of it, not with Bucky out there, all alone. And she didn’t seem to understand why he avoided her, just stared at him with those big blue eyes when she thought he wasn’t looking. He was always looking, always saw her and her disappointment. He didn’t care, though. He simply saw her for what she truly was, a distraction. 

Then, after they found Bucky, brought him back safe, she’d latched onto him. Got in his face and pushed and poked and prodded. Pulled out parts of Bucky they’d both thought were long gone. Even Steve had to admit that she’d been good for him. Which led to mixed feelings, gratitude for the way she drew Bucky out and envy for the way his friend had attached himself to her. Even more upsetting, sometimes he had trouble deciding just who he was envious of, her or Bucky. It was all very confusing. 

Steve looked at Darcy, “Does anyone else know about his late night visits?” 

She shook her head, “I don’t think so. If anyone sees him creeping into or out of my apartment at ridiculous hours, they just assume we’re screwing around.” 

“Are you?” It was out of his mouth before he even realized it. 

Darcy met his eyes. “No.” 

He shook his head, confused at the rush of relief he’d felt. “I’m sorry. Really. It’s none of my business.” 

She smiled at him, “It’s ok. I mean, you’re right, it isn’t any of your business. But I understand why you had to ask. He’s your friend, you worry about him. I get it. But trust me, Bucky Barnes’ virtue is safe with me.” 

Steve chuckled, “It’s not his virtue I’m worried about.” 

“Well, you really don’t need to worry about mine either,” she said with a giggle. After a beat, Darcy stared down at the table and spoke softly, “Y’know, I get nightmares, too.” 

“You do?” 

“Yeah, they really started after New Mexico. Loki’s first foray into death and destruction. This big metal demon breathing fire comes down from the sky and starts destroying the town that I’d started calling home. It was terrifying. Flames everywhere, cars exploding, buildings turned to rubble. I’d never seen anything like that, it was like a war zone. People were dying and I couldn’t do a thing.” 

“I’ve read the files. Nasty situation.” 

“For real. Then Jane and I were in Norway during the whole Battle of New York. It’s late at night and we’re sitting there watching the world end. Seeing all of you saving us, and once again, I’m feeling completely powerless.” 

Darcy looked down at the table, lost in the memory, “Then there was London. The world is going dark and all I can do is hammer sticks into the ground and try to avoid being killed by space elves. _Space elves_ , Steve. I mean, I had a fairly uneventful childhood. Then all of a sudden a god falls from the sky and my life is never the same.” 

Steve listened to Darcy tell him about all the things she’d been through the past few years. The way her life had become shaped by chaos, and the way she was still haunted by it, and it surprised him. He’d never once stopped to think how those things might have affected her. It was a testament to her that she was able to be so normal after so much abnormality. And it struck him once again, that he hadn’t been quite fair to Darcy. 

Sure she hadn’t been through the things he had, or Bucky or Natasha, or any of them, but she’d seen hell up close and had come out intact on the other end. It was kind of miraculous. 

A part of him had to realize that she wasn’t a normal girl, though. She called Thor her brother, counted the Black Widow among her closest friends, there was obviously more to her than meets the eye. Maybe it was just easier to pretend that she was the girl that she showed the world, easier to assume she was silly and flighty and immature, rather than acknowledge that she had her demons too. 

“I know what you mean, about the helplessness. When I was young, before the serum, I was completely different. I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures.” 

Darcy nodded, a soft smile on her face as she pictured the tough little thing that used to be Steve Rogers. 

“Yeah, I was tiny. Sick all the time, nearly died every winter. Hated bullies, though. Hated people who did what they wanted without thinking of anyone else. Bucky said I was stupid, and I probably was, but I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone taking advantage of someone else, someone weaker. I wouldn’t let people do it to me, and I wouldn’t allow it to happen to others. There were some fights I couldn’t jump into, though. The war started and all I could think of was that there were too many big guys picking on the little ones, and it made me furious. I felt helpless. So, I get it.” 

“It sucks.” 

They sat looking at each other, enjoying the first real conversation they’d probably ever had. Certainly the most civil one. The calm was interrupted by Darcy yawning, “Oh, I guess that’s my sign that I need to go to bed. It’s late.” She stood and cleared away her water glass and Steve’s empty mug. 

“Yeah, me too.”

As he watched Darcy clean up, he thought back to the conversation he’d had that time with Natasha. _‘It’s hard to find someone with shared life experience.’_

What he’d meant was that regular people didn’t understand the world in the way that he did. He’d gone through too much, was still going through too much to be on the same level as someone who hadn’t experienced the same things. But the truth was, no one had experienced the world the way he had, they couldn’t possibly. 

Perhaps what he’d really meant was that he was looking for someone who’d gone through hell the same as him, someone whose life had been taken away due to circumstance, someone who knew what it was like to truly hate the curveballs fate had thrown at them. He wanted someone who was as miserable as him. 

Thinking back to that, Steve was ashamed. It wasn’t fair for him to hope for someone else to go through the horrible things he did. Hell, it was the reason he kept fighting, so no one else ever would. “Listen, thank you Darcy. For the tea, and… everything. I appreciate it.” 

“You’re welcome. And, I know that things between you and I have been rocky in the past, but I’d like us to be friends. Really. And if you ever need someone to talk to, I want you to know you can come to me. I know I talk a lot, but I’m a pretty good listener, too.” 

Darcy grinned at him as she leaned down to give him a brief hug on her way out of the kitchen.


	3. For Richer or Poorer

Most of the next day was spent unpacking and doing a grocery run. The most memorable part of the day was the fact that Steve and Darcy had somehow patched things up between themselves and were getting along quite well. They didn’t have a single fight, barring a (mostly) friendly argument over ice cream flavors. Steve insisted vanilla was a classic for a reason, no need to shove fifteen other flavors in there. For that, they’d just have to agree to disagree. Other than that, a sense of calm had descended over the Buchanan household. 

After lunch, Steve was sitting in his room doing some sketching when he heard a car pull into the driveway. He peeked between the blinds and saw a woman climbing out of a sleek, expensive-looking black car. Steve slipped his mask on and waited until the doorbell dinged before walking down the hall to open the door. 

The woman looked like she’d just walked out of an ad in a magazine. Very pretty, impeccably styled hair, pristine white tennis outfit, large diamonds adorning her ears and fingers, and a haughty look on her perfectly made up face as she took in her surroundings. “Is this where Darcy Lewis lives?” 

Her words practically dripped condescension, and Steve wanted nothing more than to close the door in her face and get back to his drawing. “Yes ma’am. Can I help you?” 

“I would like to speak with her.” 

Steve stared at the woman for a beat, “Sure.” 

He stepped away from the door and went into Darcy’s bedroom where she was laying on the bed listening to her iPod. He tapped her arm to get her attention. “Darcy, there’s a woman at the door who wants to talk to you.” 

She grimaced, the look of someone who knows exactly what is coming for them. “Ugh. Snotty, overdressed, blonde lady?” 

Steve nodded, “Yeah. I’m guessing you know her?” 

Darcy let out a groan and hopped up towards the mirror on the dresser. Fluffing her hair and pinching her cheeks, she sighed, “That’ll have to do.” 

She followed Steve into the living room where the woman was standing stiffly at the front door, as if determined not to touch anything or go into the house any further than necessary. The woman gave Darcy a once-over with a small shake of her head. “Oh, Darcy, honey. You get married and let yourself go even more than usual.” 

Darcy gave the lady a strained smile. “Hey, Mom. It’s nice to see you, too.” 

_Mom_? Steve’s eyes bugged at that. How could this cold, snooty, rude woman be Darcy’s mom? Darcy, who was none of those things? Darcy, who was the complete opposite of those things? 

The blonde raised an eyebrow and turned her attention to Steve. “Darcy, darling, where are your manners? I believe introductions are in order.” 

“Steven, this is my mom, Catherine Lewis. Mom, this is Steven Buchanan. My husband.” 

“Oh yes. I believe I read about that in your email. After the fact, of course.” 

“Yeah, it was kind of spur-of-the-moment.” 

Darcy’s mother turned her attention to Darcy’s torso and arched an eyebrow. “Is that just a nicer way of saying you got knocked up?” 

Steve whipped his head around in shock to see Darcy’s reaction, but she merely rolled her eyes, “No, Mom. You have a while longer before I turn you into a grandmother.” 

“Yes, well, that certainly is a relief. But, really, why the rush if not to save face?” 

Steve was appalled. This woman was nothing more than a bully. Different than the bullies he was used to dealing with, but a bully nonetheless. He put his arm around Darcy and in his most earnest voice, spoke, “True love, ma’am. I couldn’t live another day without her as my wife.” 

Darcy nearly choked seeing the look on her mother’s face. She leaned against Steve and smiled her most sincere smile, “He’s right. Well, that, and the fact he wanted to make me an honest woman after shacking up for awhile. He’s old-fashioned that way.” 

Darcy was certain that the looks on both of their faces would provide her with giggles for a very long time. Steve had that constipated look on his face that he sometimes got around her, with a blush to match, and her mother looked totally scandalized. Darcy was quite pleased with herself. 

“Really, Darcy, there’s no need to be so crude. Ladies don’t speak like that.” 

Darcy just scrunched her nose and frowned, “That’s me, I guess. Always so unladylike.” 

“Yes, well. I do hope you can rein that in for one night. Your father and I are having a small get-together tonight and I expect to see you there. The both of you.” 

Steve could feel Darcy tense up beside him, it was clear that she didn’t want to go any more than he did. “Are you sure about this, Mom? I mean, it’s so last minute and everything. Can’t we just schedule brunch one day?” 

“No, Darcy. This is an important night for your father. It will be nice for him to see his only daughter. And her new husband, of course.” 

“Of course.” 

The two women stared at each other in a face-off, but Darcy eventually sighed and nodded, looking defeated, “Fine. We’ll be there.” 

“Wonderful. 7 o’clock, on the dot. Do try to look presentable, Darcy. There will be some very important people there tonight, and I need you to be on your best behavior.” 

“Yes, Mom, I’ll try to control myself.” 

“Please do. Steven, it was lovely to have met you. See you both tonight.” With that, Darcy’s mother turned on her heels and stalked out of the house. 

When they heard the sound of her car starting, Darcy stepped out of the embrace she and Steve were still in, and flopped on the couch. “Steve, do me a favor, will ya? Go get your shield and just, like, bash me in the face until I have a good excuse for avoiding a dinner party.” 

“It won’t be all that bad, I’m sure.” 

“Won’t be all that bad? Steve, it’s gonna be so much worse than that. I don’t wanna go.” Darcy whined. She sat up, “We could always just call later and say that we were on our way to the party and we drove by the makeout spot near the lake and just couldn’t control ourselves.” 

“There’s a makeout spot here?” 

“Steve, it’s a small town. Of course there’s a makeout spot.” 

Steve just nodded and stood looking down at her, hands on hips. In response, Darcy rolled off the couch and lay on the floor making unhappy, inarticulate noises until Steve stepped over her, leaning down to pat her arm in what he hoped was a consoling gesture, before going back to his room and his sketchpad.

Darcy spent the rest of the afternoon primping. She had a pretty good idea of the types of people that would be at this party, and she was employing a strategy she’d learned long ago when dealing with these people. Darcy would show up looking as hot and aloof as possible. Use her clothing like armor, so when the mean girls and leering boys showed up, they wouldn’t even get close. 

When she was young, her defense was anonymity. Making sure she looked just like the other girls. Shopping the same places they did, wearing the same hairstyle, making sure she always looked pleasantly unremarkable. If she didn’t look any different, no one would single her out. 

Then puberty happened. One summer she went home flat as a board, and the next fall she walked into school with a brand new body. Middle school is tough for everyone, and Darcy soon learned that middle school girls could be merciless. The very girls who she’d once called her best friends turned on her. They teased her, spread rumors about her, called her names, and just generally made her feel terrible about herself. And the boys were no better. Gross, sexist comments rang in her ears all day. Boys feeling like they had the right to comment on her body as if it were public property. 

That was the year Darcy changed tactics. She couldn’t fit in with everyone else anymore. Didn’t want to, after seeing the way they’d turned on her. She decided if she couldn’t join them, she’d make herself so untouchable that eventually they’d stop trying, and leave her alone. 

She tossed out all of her ‘cool’ clothes, filled her wardrobe with items in all shades of black and made herself over. Every morning, she’d pile on layers of clothing, shapeless t-shirts and baggy sweaters. Line her eyes with eyeliner so thick it looked like warpaint. Stick her feet in boots that made her feel she could stomp over anyone who got in her way. She used her new look as a concrete wall to keep out all of those people who’d made her so miserable. 

Eventually, she made new friends, a small group of girls that were cool and welcoming. And when high school ended, Darcy traded contact information and promises to keep in touch with her new friends, and gave two middle fingers straight up in the air to everyone else. 

She’d managed to avoid her former classmates pretty well since coming back, but she knew that at least a few of them would be there tonight. She was determined to not let them get to her. Them, or her parents, actually. 

So, Darcy got ready for the party as if she were preparing for war. Hair perfectly curled, makeup bold and precise. Pulled out her favorite dress, black, with a sheer top and sleeves and a full skirt, the one she always felt good in. Then her favorite shoes, the black ones with the red sole that Tony had bought for her the third time he’d nearly blown up the lab with her inside of it. 

Darcy stared at her reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath. She could do this. Plus, she wouldn’t be alone, Steve would be there. And maybe it was just because they were forced together because of the mission, but it seemed like they’d gotten over their issues and were something like friends.

Darcy was subdued the whole drive to her parents’ house. Steve could feel the tension radiating from her, saw how she kept rubbing her hands down her dress and playing with the hem. She looked gorgeous, he could see that she had put a lot of effort into her appearance. She looked almost scared of these people, though, and Steve didn’t get it. 

He’d seen her get into full-on screaming matches with SHIELD agents that towered over her, seen her almost punch out a reporter for saying something rude about Bruce, she lived with some of the most skilled assassins the world had ever seen, and yet she was terrified of seeing these people she grew up with. 

Steve didn’t get it, but he was worried about her. Her voice was soft and tense as she directed him through the darkening streets until the reached a twisty driveway that led up to a beautiful yard and a gorgeous house. Well, technically it was a house. Steve might be inclined to call it a mansion. “You grew up here?” 

She shrugged, and looked slightly uncomfortable, “Yeah.” 

“It’s a bit much.” 

She seemed to relax a little at his words, then, “You have no idea.”

Steve parked on the side of the driveway and turned off the car. He hopped out and went to open Darcy’s door for her. She smiled a small smile, “Thank you.” 

“No problem, Mrs. Buchanan.” Darcy rolled her eyes at her new name and they began walking up the drive, arms linked. They climbed the steps and rang the doorbell, and Steve inclined his head to speak softly, “You look really beautiful tonight, Darcy.” 

She grinned up at him, some of her tension falling away. “Thank you. You look pretty dapper yourself.” 

He was about to respond when the door swung open and Darcy’s mother was standing there. She looked as airbrushed perfect as before. “Darcy, dear! And Steven! So nice of you to join us. Please, come in.” 

Steve slid his hand down to hers and squeezed softly as they followed Mrs. Lewis through the door. She stopped and gave Darcy a once over as they walked in. “Darcy, honey, why all the black? I thought we outgrew that little phase after high school?” 

“No, Mom. My soul is still as black as ever.” 

Mrs. Lewis made a little tutting sound and led the way through the foyer. Steve looked around at the pristine house. Like it’s owner, it too looked like something out of a magazine. 

He thought back to the small apartment he’d grown up in and how different it was. The simple furniture, sturdy, made to last, not as decoration. The only artwork on the walls the pictures he’d drawn for his mother that she’d been so proud of, she wanted everyone that visited to see. The worn blanket his mother had made for him, ragged from overuse, yet still smelling of her. The drafty areas his mother would stuff rags in during the winter. 

This house was grand and gorgeous for sure, but it felt so cold and impersonal. For all the faults of his childhood home, at least it felt like home. “Richard, there is someone here to see you.” 

Steve watched as a portly, balding man came around the corner, “Ah, it would seem the prodigal daughter returns.” 

Darcy nodded, “So, it would seem. Hey, Dad.” 

Her father’s attention immediately left her, and Steve watched as Darcy shrank ever so much. The man was now looking at Steve, “I hear you’re the one who married my daughter.” 

“Yes sir, Steven Buchanan.” 

“Richard Lewis.” Darcy’s father shook Steve’s hand and began walking away, “It was nice to meet you, Steven. Please, go get a drink or something to eat. I’m afraid I have a lot of people to see tonight.” 

And with that, the man was gone again, off socializing with a new group of people without so much as another glance at his daughter. Steve looked at Darcy to see if this was out of the ordinary but she just gave him a resigned shrug and dragged him away to where the bar was set up. 

Dinner wasn’t _terrible_ , exactly. The food was good, anyway. Her parents were difficult to say the least, but they had excellent taste in caterers. Darcy supposed she would be thankful for the little things. 

Oh, and the open bar. Darcy made sure she and Steve always had a drink in their hands, if only so she had something to squeeze her fist around instead of someone’s throat. And there were so many throats begging to be squeezed. 

Not just her parents, but there were so many familiar faces in attendance. Friends of her parents, neighbors, former classmates, Darcy wasn’t really pleased to see any of them. They were all incredibly nice to her, that was to be expected, also to be expected was the backhanded compliments and subtle barbs they always sent her way, “Oh, you look so great, I almost didn’t recognize you!” “Sorry the big city didn’t work out for you, but we’re all so glad you’re back!” “We were just discussing you the other day, what a coincidence! It’s great to see you all grown up!” “Oh, I hear you’re a secretary now. How fascinating.”

Of course, the barbs got sharper once they realized she and Steve were married. Not just the obvious glances to her waistline (her mother must have told everyone that they’d eloped) or her ring finger (reminder to thank Coulson for springing for a big rock), but with their obvious shock that she could have bagged such a hottie. 

And he was. Sure, his face was different, but Steve still looked good. You couldn’t hide that height or those muscles or that shoulder-to-waist ratio quite so easily. Darcy was not complaining. And Steve… was being super supportive. Like, way more than he had to be. Every time one of those toxic people would glance between the two of them, eyebrow raised, Steve would turn on the charm, go overboard in his praise of his ‘wife’. Amp up the casual touching. 

That in particular was disconcerting to Darcy. He’d kept her at arm’s length for so long, and now he was sliding his arm around her waist, or brushing her hair back from her shoulder, or rubbing her hand between his like it was nothing. Like it was _normal_. 

Darcy tried to concentrate, but every time his fingertips brushed against her skin, she got very distracted. He’d step close, and his body heat would radiate, and Darcy would find herself leaning into him. She hoped rather desperately that he would assume she was playing it up for the spectators, and maybe that was in her mind, but it was not the true reason behind her actions. 

The true reason lay in the fact that all of a sudden a very old and very well-buried crush on Steve Rogers was coming back. When she first met Steve, she was immediately drawn to him. Not just for the obvious physical reasons, but others, too. 

She’d known how brave and noble he was from history classes and seeing his actions during the Battle of New York. That he was a hero was no surprise. But when she met him, he was so sweet, soft smile on his face, small blush covering his cheeks as they were introduced. And she spent some time with him with the others and saw not just how kind he was, but how he also had a sassy streak a mile wide, and she was smitten. 

But the more time she spent around him, the more distant he got. The easy, fun friendship they’d started disappeared. He would excuse himself from activities when Darcy showed up, would make up excuses to avoid attending movie nights and team dinners that Darcy planned, would sit and silently judge her whenever they were in the same room together, kept himself as far away from her as possible. 

And that small little ember of a crush she’d had, the one with the potential to start a five-alarm fire, burned out. Just like that. She had spent too long not feeling like she was good enough and she knew better than to chase after someone who thought that she was anything less than amazing. 

It was a few months later that Steve moved to DC and the Tower was hers once again. He would stop by every once in awhile, but that urge to stay out of his way left. Then SHIELD fell and Hydra was brought into the light, as well as Steve’s former best friend, and Steve was gone for a much longer time to find him. When he returned, with Bucky in tow, he actively avoided her. But then she and Bucky became friends, and it seemed to piss Steve off. It was like he was jealous that she and Bucky had bonded, that she was stealing precious Steve/Bucky time away from him. 

Like it was her fault that Bucky sometimes had bad days and couldn’t be in the same room as him. Like she was the reason the Bucky he had in front of him wasn’t the same Bucky he grew up with. As if she had that kind of power, or meanness, in her. 

It pissed her off, and it took awhile for her to get over it. But get over it, she did, because Darcy Lewis refused to let shit she couldn’t control get her down for too long. Once you’d survived multiple alien attacks, the fact that a beloved national icon didn’t like you just seemed tiny. 

But as angry and disconnected as she felt in regards to Steve, she couldn’t help but feel a fondness towards him. He’d trusted Natasha with his life, something the assassin didn’t take lightly, and she counted him among her closest friends. Thor had nothing but respect for the guy. Clint and Tony, too. 

Once Bucky had settled in and had started getting better, he and Steve had rekindled their former friendship. Even on their rocky days, there was so much love and compassion and comfort between the two of them. Darcy had to remember all that Steve had done for Bucky, saving him and finding him and helping bring him back, for believing in him when the whole world was against him. 

Darcy was, herself, pretty protective of Bucky, so she identified with Steve’s defensive nature towards his friend. The Steve that Bucky described to her seemed like an amazing guy and she would have loved to know him. Darcy got ornery, irritable Steve instead. 

But this Steve tonight, the one standing by her side while she dealt with her childhood demons, this Steve was fanning that tiny flame of a crush that she thought had burn out long ago. This Steve was sweet and charming and just the right amount of snarky, and the way his hand felt resting on her back was making Darcy want to do scandalous things to him.

Darcy stepped away for a minute to go to the restroom. She passed a group of girls, girls she recognized as some of the ones who made her life a living hell for so long. She could hear them whispering, and caught her name. Sidling closer, while standing behind the corner, she perked her ears and listened. “Why do you think he’s with her? Doesn’t he know she’s a freak?” 

“Maybe he knows her family’s loaded and he’s hoping to cash in.” 

There were a few murmurs of agreement. “Maybe her mom is right, she probably got knocked up and trapped him or something.” 

At that, Darcy shook her head. She was better than this, than these petty girls gossiping about her in a dark hallway. Darcy came around the corner, huge smile on her face. “Hey, girls. What are we talking about?”

The girls just looked around at each other. Kelsey, the ringleader, spoke, “Oh, nothing. Just talking about your new husband. He’s just so handsome. And polite.”

Darcy grinned. “Yeah, he’s great. I mean, it did take some convincing to make him marry me. Somehow he was able to overlook what a freak I am,” she shook her head fondly. “He was _almost_ ready to say ‘I do’ after I showed him a picture of this house and told him how rich my parents are.” 

She tilted her head, looking deep in thought. She gently rubbed a hand across her belly, “But, y’know, I think it was the baby that really made up his mind.” Darcy arched an eyebrow at all of them and guzzled the rest of her wine, shoving the glass into one of the girls’ hands. “You girls have a great night, ok?”

Darcy closed the door to the bathroom and sat on the edge of the ornate tub. This night was exhausting. She was proud of her little moment earlier, finally standing up for herself, but she could feel that she needed to get away from the house and its guests for a moment. She left the bathroom and sidled up beside Steve, grabbing his hand, “Hey, wanna come hide with me for a minute?” 

Steve nodded gratefully and allowed Darcy to lead him through the house and out onto the patio. The yard was perfectly manicured, dotted with statues and ornate benches, and little fountains.

“It’s a bit much, huh?” Darcy echoed his earlier words back to him. 

“Yeah, maybe a bit.” 

“C’mon,” she tugged him further into the garden, pulling him through a copse of trees. They stepped past the greenery and walked into a small opening where the mossy stone wall curved around a grassy area. 

It was actually very pretty, and mostly hidden away from the rest of the garden. Darcy stepped away from him and sat down in the grass, “This was my happy place when I was little. I’d have a terrible day at school, or my mom would be on my case about something, and I would just have to get away before I lost it. So I’d sneak out here and pretend I was a million miles away. It was the only place I could be me and not feel like I was disappointing everyone. Or being judged by everyone.” 

Steve didn’t say anything, just watched her sitting there. She rolled her eyes, “Sorry, that was pretty dramatic. And depressing. Maybe there’s some residual energy left over from my angsty teenage years.” 

Steve smiled at her and walked to where she was sitting. He sat in the grass beside her and looked around the little alcove, “No, I get it. It’s a good hiding spot.” 

She returned his smile and nodded, “Did you have a hiding spot when you were growing up?” 

A fond smile covered Steve’s face as he played with a blade of grass, “Yeah, me and Buck had this one place where we’d go. None of the other neighborhood kids really knew about it. We’d walk a few blocks away from our street, and there was this little bridge you could walk out on and the streetcars would run below it. We’d go and sit there with our legs dangling and look out over the city.” 

“Uh huh, you make it sound so sweet and innocent. Bucky’s told me all kinds of stories about you two getting into trouble,” Darcy said with a wink and a soft shove. 

Steve chuckled, “Of course he did, the jerk. Made himself out to be the hero, I bet. Rescuing poor little Steve from getting beat up in every alley in Brooklyn.” 

Darcy laughed, “Pretty much. He did say that you were very brave, though, for such a scrawny little thing.” 

Steve put on his judgy Captain face, only causing her to laugh harder. “Very funny. I hope you feel good making fun of a sick little boy who was constantly at death’s door. You’re heartless.” 

“Steven Rogers, you are such a drama queen. I swear. And as far as I can see, that sickly little kid turned out ok.” 

“I suppose. No thanks to people like you picking on him.” 

Darcy bit her lip to stifle her giggles, “You’re right. I feel terrible. If skinny little Steve is still in there, please pass along my most sincere apologies.” 

Steve looked away, “I don’t know if he’ll ever forgive you. You’ve damaged our good name.” 

Darcy stuck her tongue out at Steve and flopped back into the grass, “Ugh. This party blows. I’m sorry you got dragged along, too.” 

He stared at her a moment before carefully laying back beside her, “It’s ok. Your family is… not what I expected.” 

“What? You thought I was kidding when I called them hellbeasts?” 

“I guess I thought you were being dramatic.” 

“Nope. They’re the worst. I mean, intellectually, I know that deep down they do love me. And every once in awhile they do something not terrible, but most of the time? _The worst_. They have always been more concerned by what everyone thinks of them than they ever were about me.” 

“It musta been rough growing up like that.” 

Darcy shrugged. “Yeah, sometimes. It’s not just them, this whole town’s like that. It’s all about appearances, everyone putting on shows to impress everyone else. It’s just so fake, I can’t stand it.” 

“I kinda picked up on that. That’s no way to live.” 

“It really isn’t. It’s like a cycle of unhappiness. They’re miserable on the inside, so they treat each other like garbage, and end up even more miserable.” 

Steve looked over at her for a moment. “You’re not like that, though.” 

Darcy glanced over at Steve with a small smile, “No. Life’s too short to be miserable. It’s too short to make other people miserable. Who knows, though. Maybe I would’ve ended up like that if I’d stayed here.” 

“I don’t think so. You’re better than that.” 

Darcy tilted her head slightly away from Steve so he wouldn’t see the grin his words had put on her face. She gazed up at the stars for a moment and sighed, “We probably need to get back.” 

“Probably.” 

Neither made a move, though. This was such a new thing for them, being content in each other’s presence. No arguing or strained conversation, they were actually glad to be with each other, and neither one wanted to end it. Soon, though, there was a burst of laughter from inside the house that drifted out to their little hideaway. 

Steve took that as his cue to sit up, Darcy following. “This was nice,” the words tumbled from his mouth. 

He was glad to see that soft smile return to Darcy’s face, “Yeah, it was. Thank you again for coming tonight. I know you kinda had to, but I still appreciate it.” 

He just shook his head with a small shrug, he was glad Darcy hadn’t had to come alone. He was starting to get a clearer picture of just who Darcy Lewis was, and it surprised him. Reluctantly, Steve stood and turned back to hold his hand out to Darcy. She grabbed it and used it to pull herself to her feet, but Steve must have underestimated how much she’d had to drink and how hard he was pulling her, because she ended up pressed against his chest. 

They stared at each other for a moment, their bodies touching for the first time. Darcy brought up a hesitant hand to trace the side of his face, running her fingers along where the mask met his skin. “You don’t look like you, but your eyes are still the same. Still Steve.” 

Steve knew he should do the smart thing and set her down, head back to the party, but something was holding him in place. It was absolutely not the way she felt pressed against him, or how soft she looked in that moment. Nope. 

Instead he did the very stupid thing and leaned into her touch, tightening his grip on her. He watched as her lips parted, and she glanced at his mouth. His head dipped towards hers a bit and he thought she might lean up and kiss him. Thought about how he wouldn’t try to stop her, might even meet her halfway. 

But something made her pause, he could see the hint of a frown on her face. Her fingertips ghosted over his lips and she sighed in something that sounded like frustration, “I really wish you weren’t wearing this right now.” 

He gave a soft huff and steadied her on her feet, reluctantly putting space between them once again. With her not touching him, it was easier to think, but his mind still kept thinking that despite what a terrible idea it was, he still very much wanted to kiss her. 

*****

Later that evening, Darcy’s tablet began ringing. She unlocked the screen to see that Natasha had set up a secure video connection. “Nat!” 

“Hello, Darcy. How was your first day?” 

“It was good. I already called Coulson and got him up to date. It went pretty smoothly, though.” 

“I’m glad.” 

“Gah, it’s so good to see you. I miss you guys.” 

“Everyone misses you too, _kotenok_. How is Steve? Is he being civil?” Natasha knew that Steve had a problem with Darcy, that he hadn’t wanted her along on this mission. She also knew that he probably had a tiny crush on Darcy that he was determined to ignore. 

“Steve’s good. I actually think we’re friends now?” 

“Really?” 

Darcy nodded and held a finger up. She walked to the door, listening for the sound of the shower, and when she heard it, closed the door and flopped back on the bed. “Can I tell you something?” 

“Of course, anything.” 

“Ok, so, Steve and I got dragged to this dinner party at my parent’s house tonight. And we snuck outside because it was terrible. We were just sitting there, talking, and it was nice. Better than just civil. Then he pulled me up to go inside, I ended up in his arms somehow, and I think that we almost kissed?” 

Her words came out in a rush. Natasha raised her eyebrow the tiniest bit, “Oh, really?” 

Darcy nodded, “Yeah, but I have to be imagining that, right? He can barely stand me. But, like, it _looked_ like he was interested.” 

“I don’t think it’s that outrageous.” 

Darcy shook her head resolutely. “I do. Seriously, that was like the second conversation we’ve ever had where we were nice to each other.” 

“Steve is a complicated man, not to mention, he is notoriously bad with women.” 

“Well, yeah, but it’s just me.” Natasha gave her a look and she shook her head. “No, nope. Not happening, Nat. You are not pulling me into whatever is going through your head, and turning me into a crazy person. I am going to get through this mission, and Steve and I are going to come home. Hopefully, as friends, but that is it. No meddling!” 

“Would I meddle?” Natasha asked, looking very much like a spider intent on luring a fly to her web. 

“Yes. You absolutely would meddle. It’s your thing.” 

Natasha just shrugged, “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that. And when I’m proven right, which I absolutely will be, I won’t even gloat.” 

Darcy rolled her eyes, “Thank you, Nat. You’re such a good friend.” 

“I am, aren’t I?” 


	4. To Have and To Hold

It turned out that infiltrating a secret Hydra facility to play secretary wasn't much different than being an actual secretary. It was just a lot of answering phones, filing paperwork, and fetching coffee. Darcy was skilled at all of these things. And hey, at least she was getting paid for it.

After installing JARVIS’s tracking program, Darcy was left with plenty of free time. She didn’t have the clearance to read the files that they were ideally going to find, and although she could probably just hack her way in, the plan was to lay low and sneak into Hydra’s system before they even realized what was happening. Which meant that once JARVIS did his thing, Darcy would have a clearer idea about how and where to look to find the information they needed. In the meantime, Darcy spent her first day learning her way around the office and brushing up on her sudoku skills.

They’d been undercover at the Hydra facility for about a week when Darcy noticed that something fishy was going on. She’d gone crazy after the first three days with very little work to do. She was used to Jane and Bruce keeping her busy, or Coulson stealing her away for a project. So, she found a new hobby.

Whenever she wasn’t doing her secretary work, Darcy would pull up the security camera feed and watch people. Not only was it good for passing the time, it was a good way to get the layout of the place and see who was hanging out where. Ok, and she was naturally just a nosy person.

After awhile though, she started noticing patterns, and one in particular stuck out. She needed to tell Steve, to see if he could get a better look, so she kept an eye out for him all day.

Darcy was at the copier when she saw Steve walk by with another guard. Scribbling a quick note on a scrap of paper, she ducked into the hallway and called his name, beckoning him over under the pretense of saying she might be a few minutes late getting off, and she hoped he didn’t mind having to wait. What she was really doing was slipping him the note asking him to meet her in a rarely used supply room down the hall in a half an hour.

Thirty minutes later, she slipped into the dim room to find him waiting on her, eyebrow raised. “Everything ok?”

“Oh yeah, I just wanted to show you this. Ok, so there’s this one area, down that south corridor. The one that they said was unused office space. Anyway, I’ve been watching the cameras, and there are always at least two guards on that hallway, and I’m pretty sure one of them is definitely confirmed Hydra. Oh! And look at this!”

Darcy pulled out a file folder and a tablet, but Steve interrupted her quietly, “Maybe we shouldn’t discuss this here. Cameras?”

Darcy just grinned and turned on the tablet. It looked like she had an e-book up, but she swiped that up in an elaborate pattern to reveal a screen of security camera images, before clicking on one just down the hall from the room they were currently in, “Nope, scoped out the whole place the first day. There’s a camera in the hallway, but none of the supply rooms are monitored, which is kind of stupid, because this place has some awesome office supplies.”

“You mapped out all the security cameras on the first day?” Steve didn’t bother to pretend he wasn’t a little impressed.

“Yep. I found a bathroom on the other side of the building that no one uses and it’s so clean, and private. It’s like peeing in heaven, Steve.”

“I’ll take your word for it. So, what about this guarded room?”

“Oh yeah,” Darcy shuffled through the file folder and found what looked like part of a blueprint. “This is the room I’m talking about, Office 1206. Designated as office space, but look, on the original blueprint it shows that there is a staircase with access to the basement.”

Steve took the blueprint from her hands, his forehead furrowing. “Basement?”

She grinned, “Yep. Now, why would they lie about that? For that matter, why would they have a group of guards guarding empty office space? That’s where the freaky stuff is happening, Steve, I just know it.”

Steve looked over the blueprint, nodding, thinking about what Darcy had found. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement on the tablet. His partner, Rodriguez, was coming down the hall, on the lookout for something. Steve had a pretty good idea of what, or rather who, that something was.

He watched as his partner peeked inside of few of the open rooms on the hallway before turning his gaze to the supply closet. “Dammit! Rodriguez must be looking for me. He probably saw me heading back this way earlier.”

They watched as he glanced up and down the hall, heading towards the supply closet. Darcy swore, “Fuck! I’m guessing us hanging out in a supply closet might read as a little sketchy. Maybe more so if I waltz out of here with a folder full of blueprints.”

They both freaked for a second before Darcy turned the tablet off, shoving it under the folder. She groaned and dragged Steve over as she hopped on the table against the wall, shoving the blueprints behind her, hidden from view.

Darcy pulled Steve over to stand in front of her and began unbuttoning the front buttons of her blouse, Steve tensing as he watched what she was doing, “Darcy, what are you-”

“Shut up, Steve. Just play along.” His eyes widened as Darcy wrapped her legs around him and brought him flush against her. 

She shot him an apologetic look, “Sorry for this.”

“Sorry for wh-”

Darcy cut him off by grabbing the back of his neck and pressing their lips together, initiating a kiss. She reached for his hand, which was at his side in a fist, pulled it forward, her fingers loosening his. Darcy guided his hand into her blouse until he got the hint and hesitantly cupped her breast. Their tongues tangled together as Darcy and Steve ran their hands over each other.

When the door opened behind them, all Rodriguez saw was his partner getting handsy with his new wife in a supply closet. Darcy distantly heard him call out to them with a chuckle, “Get a room, guys. But later, we got rounds, Buchanan.”

Steve broke the kiss to glance back, and when the door clicked closed, their bodies were still pressed together for some reason. Pressed very closely, Darcy’s body yielding softly to Steve’s hard muscles. Darcy looked into Steve’s eyes and saw a look she’d never seen there before. His pupils were blown wide and he was looking at her with something like interest.

They didn’t move for a moment or two, Steve still absentmindedly cupping her breast, thumb rubbing at the edge of her bra. He soon realized this and yanked his hand back, finally stepping away from Darcy. The only sound in the room was their breathing, both of which seemed to Darcy a little fast and a little shaky.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Steve mumbled.

“No, no. It was me, I’m sorry. I panicked. Not my best idea, but it worked, I guess.”

“Yeah, uhh, good plan.”

After a beat, they moved further apart, resolutely looking anywhere in the room other than at each other. Darcy hopped off the table and rebuttoned her top as Steve carefully examined what looked to be a very fascinating stack of copier paper on the opposite wall.

“Well, I guess we should get back to work.”

Steve eagerly headed towards the door, “Yeah, rounds. I have rounds.”

Darcy nodded, “So I heard. You should definitely go do those then.”

Steve looked back at her one last time, before giving her a nod and quickly exiting the room. Darcy leaned against the wall, letting her head fall back with a muffled thump, “How do I get myself into these situations? _Pretend to be Steve’s wife_ , they said. _It’ll be fun_ , they said. Pfft, I’m gonna punch Phil in the face when we get back,” she mumbled.

Thankfully, they were able to avoid each other for the rest of the day. Darcy kept busy doing secretary stuff, and she assumed Steve was making sure that the opposite side of the building was exceptionally well secured. She just knew things were going to be awkward between them. They’d only just gotten to the point where they could call themselves friends without air quotes surrounding the word, and Darcy was still pretty certain that once the mission ended they would go back to carefully and politely ignoring each other.

And all of the signs pointed to Steve being a total weirdo around girls. Bucky had told her all kinds of stories of Steve being an awkward mess in school, and on dates, and even with Peggy, so Darcy was pretty sure the whole mauling-him-in-supply-room thing might make things _slightly_ uncomfortable.

Darcy was proven right almost immediately. Steve would barely look her in the eyes as they walked through the parking lot together. As soon as they were secure in the car, Steve pulled out his phone to call Phil, but Phil must have been busy because it was a very quick check-in and soon a haze of awkward silence filled the car.

Darcy glanced over at the man beside her with his eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead. “Things aren’t gonna be weird now, are they? Because we kissed?”

Steve cleared his throat, “No, of course not.”

“Good. It just seemed like the best idea at the time.”

“It was a good plan, it worked.”

“That’s true. And anyway, we’re adults. Adults can totally kiss without it being weird. It’s not a big deal.” Darcy failed to mention that for something that was not a big deal, it had been running through her head all day.

“Agreed. It’s not a big deal,” Steve echoed her words back to her.

The silence in the car was deafening, and Darcy’s brain did what it normally did in these situations: found something even more awkward to discuss. “Bucky and I kissed one time.”

Darcy could sense Steve go still beside her, obviously not expecting that. “Really?”

“Yeah. We were just watching tv and a commercial came on, and he just leaned over and planted one on me.”

“What did you do?”

“I kissed him back,” she grinned. “I mean, it wasn’t really a surprise. We got so close, so quick, I think we both probably wondered if there was anything there.”

“Was there?” Steve asked, in a tight voice.

“Nope. After it was over, we just looked at each other, laughed, and went back to watching tv like nothing happened. Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice kiss. History was right about that particular skill of his, but it wasn’t exciting the way it’s supposed to be. We’re just better suited as friends. I mean, I love the guy more than I can put into words, but it’s totally platonic. You just need that spark, y’know?”

Steve thought over what she had said. “I think so.”

*****

That night, Steve gathered his courage and went to Darcy’s room. He thought that it would be best to get everything out in the open, discuss what had happened and make a plan to move on from it. He stood in front of her cracked door and nodded to himself, finally pushing the door open and stepping forward, mouth open, ready to speak.

The words died on his tongue because there, standing beside her bed, was Darcy. She was turned away from him, completely oblivious, dancing to a song that was playing from her laptop, and she was almost completely naked.

Steve, being used to taking in a situation in a split second, instantly catalogued every detail. The way her hair looked, dark waves against the pale skin of her back, the feminine slope of her waist, the bright blue underwear that covered her. Steve was frozen in place, in a trance. Darcy leaned forward to grab her shirt off the bed and he caught the curve of a breast, and it spurred him into action. Silent as a mouse, he stepped out of the room and pulled the door to behind him.

He went into his room and sat heavily on the chair. He tried to push the image of her out of his head by throwing himself into some paperwork that needed to be done. The next day, he would realize that he’d sketched the curve of her body at the top of his reports and would have to redo them all. For the next few days, Darcy and Steve were incredibly polite, yet sorta distant, to one another. Steve was almost certain it had to do with what happened in the supply closet, despite both of their claims that it wasn’t a big deal. The moment had gotten away from him. Darcy had surprised him, something she seemed to be doing a lot of lately.

When he had found out she was going to be his partner on this mission, he’d gotten nervous. She had no real experience, none in the field, and certainly none dealing with Hydra. He was convinced that she wouldn’t be able to handle herself, that she would only hinder the whole operation. He’d given her so little credit, but she had obviously been working much harder than he had anticipated.

When she pulled him in that room and told him about what she’d discovered, he’d been shocked. Then he’d been shocked for a different reason. That kiss kept running through his mind. How soft and warm she’d been. How the feeling of her pressed against him had sent his mind racing. How difficult it had been to pull away, and not lean back in for another kiss.

He had finally convinced himself that it was because of their little moment in the supply room, and that any spark he had felt was just nerves at possibly being caught. That was it. Of course, that didn’t explain that moment in the car, Darcy’s confession and the rush of something strange he’d felt when she told him about kissing Bucky. It felt almost like jealousy. The fact that he couldn’t get the image of a half-naked Darcy out of his mind didn’t help. 

Steve wasn’t certain what was going through Darcy’s head, but it seemed that she, too, was affected by what had happened. Those sly glances she shot in his direction when she thought he wasn’t looking, coupled with her determination to be as polite and proper as possible.

Finally though, the work week ended and they were able to put some distance between themselves. Even though they were now confined to the same house, it was somehow easier than the quiet trips back and forth to work, and the strained interactions whenever they ran into each other in the hallways. 

It rained all day Saturday, and although they were both stuck inside, they didn’t spend much time with one another. They mostly stayed in their own rooms, Steve drawing and reading, and Darcy binge-watching Netflix.

Saturday evening, Steve’s phone dinged and he grabbed it off the desk. Natasha’s name popped up alongside a message, _How is the mission? Are you being nice?_

Steve shook his head and typed out a response, _I’m always nice. And it’s going well, thank you for asking._

_I video chatted with Darcy tonight. I asked her about you._

Steve wanted to resist the urge to ask, but truthfully he was dying to know what was running through Darcy’s head, _And?_

_And she started blushing. I don’t know what you did, but you should do it again. :)_

_Bye, Natasha._ Steve put the phone down and shook his head. As if his mind weren’t muddled enough about the current situation with Natasha getting involved.

Finally, late Sunday afternoon, the rain stopped and Steve took his chance to relief his cabin fever, hesitantly knocking on the doorjamb of Darcy’s room. “Hey, I’m kinda hungry. You wanna go get something to eat, get out of this house?”

Darcy perked up from the book she was reading, “Yes, absolutely. I think I need to get out of this room before I go insane.”

“You and me both.”

Steve slid on his mask and rain jacket and followed her outside. Darcy directed Steve to a small steakhouse in the middle of town, “We don’t have a lot of selection, this is pretty much it.”

“I’m sure it’s fine.”

Darcy nodded, obviously distracted by something. Steve saw what that something was as soon as they walked in. It seemed like the whole restaurant turned to look at them. “Gotta love small towns,” Darcy muttered under her breath.

As they waited to be seated, Darcy let out a small groan and followed her eyes to the blonde woman walking towards them, “Hello, Mom.”

“Darcy, honey. I didn’t realize you and your husband were coming out tonight. You should have phoned.”

“Didn’t really feel like cooking.”

“Well, that’s a surprise in and of itself. I’ve never known you to cook, dear.”

“That’s a shame, Darcy is a wonderful cook,” Steve interjected, patting his stomach and looking down at her fondly.

“Yes, well. You would know better than myself.”

Luckily, the hostess chose this moment to arrive, breaking up an awkward moment. “Ok, Mom. I guess we’re going to go eat. It was nice to see you. Tell Dad I said hi.”

“You can tell him yourself,” She turned to the hostess, “They will be joining us.”

Darcy tried protesting, but soon realized that it would do no good. Which was how they ended up seated in a booth across from her parents. Dinner consisted of stilted conversation, comments from Darcy’s mother about her weight and hers and Steve’s surprise wedding, and a very warm presence at Darcy’s side that was very distracting.

Distracting and comforting, because Steve stood up for her at every opportunity, making sure that her mother’s barbs had nowhere to land. Dinner concluded with a judgemental offer to pay for dinner, because they obviously weren’t making much, to be living in the part of town they did. Darcy wanted to gag.

They all stood and headed towards the door, Steve stopping to turn to her parents, “Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, I just wanted to thank you for raising such a wonderful daughter, although I’d hazard a guess that Darcy probably deserves the credit for that. You two have a good night, now.”

He politely inclined his head to them and ushered her out. Darcy gaped up at him in delight before bursting into laughter. “Oh, Steve. I know you hear this a lot, but you are _so_ my hero.”

It began pouring rain almost as soon as they stepped outside, and they sprinted through the parking lot. Once they were in the car, Darcy threw her head back against the headrest, “Ohh, I am exhausted. They are exhausting.”

Steve chuckled, “You aren’t wrong. I just don’t get how they are your parents. You’re so different.”

“Thank you. Like, you know how in fairy tales witches always make bargains with people for their first-born? I’m pretty sure I’m someone decent’s first-born, and I was stolen away by the evil witch and the clueless oaf she married. It’s the only explanation I’ll accept.”

“It would make sense. Maybe you’re secretly a princess.”

“Ooh, then I could rub it in Thor’s face that he isn’t the only royalty around,” Darcy giggled.

“He wouldn’t even be upset.”

“No, not at all. We could start a club or something. Get matching tiaras,” she grinned at Steve. “You know, when I met Tony, he made me take a DNA test, because he was certain I was a one-night-stand come back to bite him in the butt.”

“Wouldn’t that have been something?”

“Right? I did get him something for Father’s Day this year, though.”

Steve shook his head fondly, he knew the two of them were close. “What was it?”

“Well, I figured that he’s never had anyone buy him a father’s day gift, so I went totally cliche, and bought him a tie. But, like, a really cool one with little tiny light-up arc reactors all over it. And when you press one, it plays AC/DC. It’s absolutely hideous.”

“He wore that a couple of weeks ago. I couldn’t stop staring at it during our meeting.”

Darcy chuckled. “Yep, he loves it.”

“You just wormed your way into everyone’s lives, didn’t you?”

“No, not everyone,” Darcy answered softly, and Steve knew she was thinking about him and how he’d treated her. Steve pulled into the driveway and turned off the car.

He looked over at Darcy, and the way the raindrops falling on the windshield cast delicate patterns over her face, and he felt an overwhelming urge to go back in time and do things right. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you when we first met. Actually, for every interaction of ours up until about a week ago. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Why, then?”

Steve ran his hands through his hair, “I don’t know. I thought all those things you’ve accused me of. I thought you were silly and immature, and I was looking for Bucky, and I couldn’t afford to be either of those things. I know now that I misjudged you, though.”

She considered his answer, “But what about later, after Bucky came back?”

“I was stubborn. I didn’t want to admit to myself, let alone to anyone else, that maybe I’d been unfair to you. And I guess some of it had to do with how good you were with Bucky. There were days he wouldn’t even look at me, and there you were playing video games with him and getting him to help you bake cupcakes.”

Darcy looked down at her fingers twisting together in her lap. It was what she’d always suspected, but hearing it from Steve made it hit home that things hadn’t been easy for any of them. Especially Steve, and she couldn’t imagine blaming him for reacting in the way that he did. It had hurt, still did, but she didn’t want to carry that with her.

“Oh, _Steve_. In the beginning, he wasn’t distant with you because of anything you did. And he wasn’t close to me because of anything I did. It’s like, to him, you have been the same Steve since you were that scrawny little kid in Brooklyn. But Bucky now isn’t the same Bucky that you knew then. It was hard for him to be around you knowing that, plus about a zillion other reasons, some of them quite ridiculous. But it wasn’t anything you did wrong.”

“I know that now. It was just frustrating then.”

Darcy nodded. “I know. And I wasn’t trying to get in between you two. He just looked so lost, and no one else seemed willing to take the time to get to know him.”

Steve studied Darcy, suddenly grateful for all she’d done not only for Bucky, but for all of them, “Thank you for that. You were good with Bucky. Hell, you were good for Bucky. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

She just grinned at him and shook her head, “Shut up. It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s something.”

The rain was still coming down in sheets, and didn’t look like it would be breaking up anytime soon, so Steve told Darcy to hang tight as he got out and ran around to her door. They ran up on the porch and when they got inside, Darcy leaned back against the door, laughing at how soaked they both were.

She flicked her dripping hair in his direction, tiny droplets landing all over him. Steve retaliated by running his hands through his hair and tossing the water on Darcy, eliciting a shriek from her. They continued this mini water fight, until both of them ran out of liquid ammunition.

Steve stared down at her, taking in how close they were standing and lovely he thought she looked in that moment. “I really want to kiss you right now.”

The words just slipped from his mouth. Darcy’s lips parted with a soft sigh and she stared back at him, “I won’t stop you.”

Steve took a step closer, tightening the space between them as Darcy inclined her body towards his. He pushed her hair back from her face, his fingers trailing over her cheek. After a moment, he pulled his hand back and closed his eyes, “I- We can’t. It isn’t right. I’m sorry.”

Darcy fell back against the door, frowning down at the floor, “Ok.” She shook her head and straightened, ducking around him, “I’m going to bed.”

“Darcy-”

She just kept walking, “I’m tired, Steve. Goodnight.”

Steve leaned against the door, frustrated with himself, both for wanting to kiss Darcy in the first place, but also for not going through with it. He could hear her walking down the hall, headed towards her room, and he let his body go on autopilot.

Let it carry him to her. Let it take her by the arm and turn her, pressing her softly against the wall. Let him lean into her, eyes searching for permission that this was ok, and when he got it, slanted their lips together. His hands cupped her neck as she slid her arms around his waist, pulling him closer. With a soft exhale, her lips parted and Steve let his tongue brush against hers.

Steve could feel Darcy’s heart pounding, and he was certain it was in sync with his. Darcy ran her hands over his back, caressing each muscle, and Steve got brave, tracing along her sides and squeezing her hips.

When Darcy broke away to catch her breath, Steve leaned against her, their foreheads touching. Darcy looked up at him, a soft grin covering her face, “Told you I wouldn’t stop you.”

Steve chuckled, pressing a kiss on her forehead, “So you did.”

Finally, he stepped back. They watched each other, both, perhaps waiting for the other to freak out, but there were no freakouts in sight. They actually both looked pretty pleased with themselves.

“Alright, well, I’m gonna head to bed. Goodnight, Darcy.”

She nodded softly, “Goodnight, Steve.”

*****

Darcy was grateful for the wall she’d had at her back, because the moment Steve’s lips had met hers, she’d felt weak in the knees. He’d strode down the hall with such purpose.

The hesitation that she’d seen in his face back in her parents’ garden, and then later in that unused supply room, and just moments earlier, after their rain fight- it was gone. This was a man who knew what he wanted and was ready to take it. And about damn time, too. She’d been thinking about his lips for awhile now.

She’d thought after their little show in the supply closet that maybe it would appease her curiosity. But, no. If anything, that small taste had ignited something in her, had allowed her to see him in a way that she had never allowed herself to.

Darcy lay under the covers, her fingertips sliding up to ghost against her lips, reliving the moment. She darted her hand out to grab her phone and pull it under the covers with her, shooting off a quick text to Natasha, _You were right_.

Moments later, her phone lit up with a response, _!!!!!!!!_.

Even knowing that the next time she spoke to Natasha, she was going to be interrogated, wasn’t enough to wipe the grin from her face.


	5. As Long As We Both Shall Live

The next day on the ride to work, Steve reached over and threaded his fingers through hers, a soft smile on his face. When they separated at work, Steve leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, his hand resting on her side. It was as if their kiss had set off something between them. 

No longer were the small touches and close proximity solely for any outside observers. Darcy now knew that every graze of Steve’s fingers, or press of his lips was for her benefit and her benefit only. It was a dizzying realization. 

That evening after dinner, Steve grabbed the car keys and headed towards the door, “C’mon, I have a surprise for you.” 

“Ooh, a surprise? What is it?” 

Steve just arched an eyebrow and walked out to the car. Darcy slid into the passenger seat and Steve started the car. He drove through town, refusing to answer any of Darcy’s questions about just where they were headed. Eventually they passed the glint of lake and Steve turned down a small dirt road. 

Darcy shrieked, “Steve Rogers! You did not just drive me to the town makeout spot.” 

He just grinned and shrugged. 

“How did you even know where this was?” 

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “I may have been forced into asking around at work.” 

Darcy descended into a fit of giggles at the pained look on his face, “Oh my god, that is perfect. Captain America asking around to find the perfect hideaway to get some. I am so telling Tony.” 

“Don’t you dare,” he demanded, setting off another round of giggles from Darcy. 

Steve pulled in between two big trees facing outward towards the lake. It was a perfect night, the half moon was shining on the water and everything looked so peaceful. Steve shut the car off, but left the radio on, playing softly in the background. “Not quite what I imagined a makeout spot to be like.” 

“Yeah, it’s actually really pretty here.” 

Steve glanced over at her, a forced nonchalance in his voice, “Did you ever come here when you were younger?” 

“Once, in high school. One of my friends convinced me to go on a date with this guy and he brought me here. He started getting handsy, so I punched him and walked home.” 

Steve tensed beside her, “Who was it?” 

Darcy curved in her seat towards him and grinned, “You are not going to beat up some guy for grabbing my boob almost a decade ago.” 

“It doesn’t mean it’s right.” 

“No, it doesn’t, but I can take care of myself. Believe me when I say that he realized very quickly that his advances were unwelcome.” 

Steve nodded, relaxing a bit. He knew better than try to protect someone who was fully capable of handling themselves and didn’t want any outside interference. 

Darcy smirked over at him, “Your advances, however, are very welcome. Just fyi.” 

“Oh, is that so?” 

She nodded, “Yeah. Super welcome.”

*****

Steve’s body was perfectly crafted. Strong and graceful and efficient in every way, but unfortunately, it was not made for car makeouts. Darcy, also, had a beautiful body. Curvy and smooth and capable of many things, but unfortunately, it too, wasn’t built to straddle Steve’s lap in the driver’s seat of a not-very-spacious car. 

After a small bout of fevered kisses and wandering hands, that turned quickly into cramped positions and awkward sighs and giggles, and more than one occasion of body parts hitting the car horn, Darcy leaned her forehead against Steve’s and grinned at him. “Steve, I’m afraid to say it, but we are no longer teenagers. We are an old married couple now and we have to stop chasing our youth. We have a perfectly good couch at home, what’s say we go back and christen it?” 

Steve grinned at her, a devilish look in his eyes. “I believe that can be arranged.” 

He gave her a peck on the lips and helped her slide back into her seat, starting the car and heading back to their home, his hand firmly fixed on her thigh as he drove. 

They made it inside the house before Steve pushed Darcy back against the door and captured her lips with his. Darcy groaned and leaned into his touch, wanting more than anything to feel him against her. Steve slid his hands into Darcy’s coat and traced her curves. Darcy broke away only long enough to shrug her coat off and tug at his until he got the message, removing one of the pesky layers separating them.

Steve slid his hands down, gripping her hips briefly, before sliding down to her thighs and pulling them around him, hoisting her in the air. She wrapped her arms tightly around her neck, never removing her mouth from his as he carried her over to the couch. 

In a smooth movement, he slid into a seated position with Darcy firmly planted on his lap. “Impressive,” Darcy murmured against his lips. 

“One of my many talents,” Steve retorted. 

Darcy grinned and slowly gave a swivel of her hips. A rumble traveled through Steve’s chest as she rubbed herself against him. “Doll,” he said in a warning tone. 

She rocked against him again. “Steve, you're not the only impressive one here.”

Steve probably would have answered in the affirmative, had Darcy not moved her and her tongue’s attention back to his mouth. He wasn't going to argue with her anyway. He was having too much fun getting to know her, and her body, enjoying learning all of the sounds he was capable of making her make. As distracting as Darcy was, Steve couldn't shake the feeling that they were moving too fast.

“Are we really doing this?” 

Steve’s strangled voice interrupted Darcy licking a path down his throat. She sat back breathlessly and studied him, “Yeah. I mean, I thought so. Are you having second thoughts?” 

Steve brushed his thumb under the curve of her breast reverently. “No, no second thoughts. Just making sure we're on the same page. Proceed.” 

Darcy grinned and leaned back down, nipping along his jaw where she’d left off. She gave a roll of her hips and Steve groaned into her hair, “Ok, one more interruption and I’ll be done.” 

Darcy sat back and pulled off her shirt, smirking down at the suddenly very distracted man in front of her, “Of course, Steve. This is my patient face.” 

It was not a convincing patient face. 

He rubbed his hands down her arms and dragged his eyes up to meet hers, “I just want to make sure that this isn’t going to ruin anything. I mean, we’re just now in a good place with each other. Don’t wanna ruin it.” 

Darcy leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose, _darling man_. “This isn’t going to ruin anything. Not if you don’t let it. Sure, sex complicates things, but when has anything between the two of us ever been anything but complicated?” 

“You have a point there.” 

She nodded. “I do. I’m pretty smart if you hadn’t already noticed.” 

“Believe me, I noticed.” 

Darcy grinned and gave a small roll of her hips, feeling the hard ridge of his erection against her, “What else have you noticed?” 

Steve growled and captured her lips with his once again. He easily maneuvered the two of them back onto the couch, Steve’s body pressing Darcy into the cushions, his thigh nestled between hers. His hands drifted behind her back and unclasped her bra, Darcy helping to pull it off and fling it across the room. Steve dipped his head and took her nipple in his mouth, his tongue darting against the delicate nub. Darcy arched her hips and rubbed herself against Steve’s hard thigh, Steve pressing himself forward to increase the friction for both of them. 

He buried his face in her neck, his breath ghosting across her skin. Darcy ran her hands from Steve’s back and down under the waistband of his jeans, reaching down to cup his ass. “I think now is the time for you to get naked, Steve.” 

“Yes ma’am.” 

Steve rose up to his knees, watching Darcy’s face as he tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it onto the coffee table. Darcy nodded softly as her eyes raked down his body. “Yeah, ok. That’s not bad.” 

“Not bad?” 

Darcy bit her lip and shrugged, “It’s alright, I suppose.” 

“Uh huh,” Steve said doubtfully, as he stepped beside the couch and shimmied his jeans down, kicking them off to the side. He pulled out the condom he had optimistically placed in his pockets earlier and placed it on the coffee table.

Darcy glanced down at his erection that was straining his underwear. He arched an eyebrow and smirked as he lowered his underwear and kicked them off. Forcing her eyes back up to his, she shrugged again, barely containing her grin, “Is that all?” 

Steve growled and climbed back on top of her, gripping the sides of her panties and yanking them down, “You got a smart mouth, you know that?” 

Darcy shrugged. “So I’ve been told.”

Steve grinned down at her fondly. “I like it.”

He kissed her again, hovering above her balanced on one elbow. With his free hand, he traced a line over her chest, down her stomach, to slide his hand between her thighs. He cupped her with his large hand, a single finger sliding inward. He gasped when he felt how ready she was for him, and touched her, circling around the delicate bundle of nerves as she arched up into his hand. 

“Steve,” she said in a choked voice, as he slid a finger inside of her, then another, stroking her until she was gasping. He thrust his fingers into her and soon he began to feel the tension building up. Ducking his head down to nip at her breasts, he felt her fall apart around his fingers, his name gasped out on her lips. 

He sat up, watching her, heaving chest and blissful expression. She bit her lip and traced his jawline, pulling him close enough to kiss him as she reached down and gave him a few slow strokes, before grabbing the condom and sliding it on. She lined him up at her entrance, rubbing herself against him, and in a smooth move, he slid home. He paused once he was fully inside of her, letting both of their bodies adjust for a moment. Darcy hooked her legs around him and he took that as his cue to move, giving a few small thrusts. 

Steve loved the way she felt around him, loved the soft noises she was making, loved the flush that covered her body. Loved that he was the one doing that to her. Darcy pulled at his hair and whispered, “Harder,” and Steve complied. He let his body move against hers purposefully, appreciating the way he didn’t have to hold himself back. He could tell that Darcy was close again, and he began thrusting a little harder, his hands squeezing her skin. When she began fluttering around him, he allowed himself to follow, coming with a choked cry. 

He got up to toss the condom and collapsed back down beside her, careful not to put too much weight on her as he shifted them around to gather her up in his arms on the cramped couch. Steve traced circles against Darcy’s back and she sighed contentedly. 

He kissed her forehead and Darcy grinned up at him, her fingers playing along the hair at the back of his neck. “Now that we christened the couch, I feel like my bed’s feeling a little lonely. Let’s go give it some company.” Steve groaned and picked her up, heading down the hallway, Darcy giggling, “The shower, too.”

The next morning, Steve sat across the table from Darcy as they ate breakfast. He watched her sleepily stir her coffee and take a sip.

Her eyes glanced up to meet his through her glasses. “What?” 

He just shook his head, “Nothing. I’m just looking at you. Can’t I look at you?”

“Sure you can, you weirdo,” Darcy said, with a kick under the table and a grin.

“I was thinking that when we get back, once this is all over, I’d like to take you out on a real date. Just the two of us. Dinner, maybe dancing, or a movie. Whatever you’d like.”

Darcy grinned into her coffee cup. “That would be nice, yeah.”

“Ok, good.”

“Does this mean that you don’t count dinner with my parents as a real date?” Darcy asked, cheekily,

“Surprisingly, that’s not what I picture when I think of a first date.”

“Honestly, Steve, I don’t know why I married you. You have no imagination at all.”

*****

Steve stood at Darcy’s desk, looking around, Darcy was nowhere to be found. He pulled out his phone to send her a quick text telling her to get back to work because he’d brought her coffee. Steve sat in the chair in front of Darcy’s desk waiting for her to respond or waltz through the door, chattering about some gossip she’d heard, but nothing happened. 

Darcy was a notoriously fast texter, this wasn’t like her. Before Steve could stop to figure out what was going on, Rodriguez peeked his head around the corner, “Hey, man. Can you come help me with something? It’s kind of urgent.” 

Steve glanced back once at the desk and turned back to his partner. “Yeah, sure.” 

They walked down the hall and out into the parking lot. When Rodriguez popped his hood and leaned over, Steve spoke, “Car trouble?” 

“No, I needed to talk to you.” 

Steve stopped and stared, something starting to prickle at the back of his neck. “I thought you needed help with something.” 

“Keep your voice down. I need to tell you something, and I’m pretty sure there aren’t any cameras out here.” 

Steve immediately stiffened. “What is going on?” 

“Listen, I need you to stay calm, ok? About ten minutes ago, I saw these two guys wearing guard’s uniforms, guns out, walking through the hallway. I was about to go check out what was happening, but something told me to be careful. These two guys went into the break room where Darcy was and they took her. I followed them and they took her down to that wing where the empty office space is.” 

Steve felt his body fill with a wave of anger and he immediately turned on his heel and went to run to Darcy. Rodriguez grabbed his arm. “Hey, no. We don’t know who took her or what they’re doing. We need a plan before we go in guns blazing. Plus, they have to be watching you, being her husband and all.” 

Steve took a deep breath, he knew his partner was right. He pulled out his phone and dialed Tony, speaking as soon as Tony spoke, “They took Darcy. Get on the suit and get everyone out here.” 

“We’re on our way.” 

Steve then got Coulson on the phone, relaying the same message. 

*****

Darcy wasn’t certain what happened, exactly. When she looked back, she would remember standing at the communal coffee maker making a fresh pot. She would remember the slight rustling behind her, and when she turned she would remember two large, hulking men staring her down, would remember the flash of pure, unadulterated fear that filled her body. 

JARVIS would later pull the footage and she would see everything that happened. She was making coffee, minding her own business. She heard the aforementioned rustling sound and there stood the aforementioned hulking men. Her first reaction was to grab for her phone, she knew she could activate her panic button within seconds. 

It took only a moment for that idea to leave her head, one of the men pulled his gun and spoke loudly, “Don’t even think about it.” 

The other man stepped forward and grabbed her phone from her, tossing it into the garbage. “You’re coming with us,” said the first man, as they escorted her out of the room. 

Walking back through the halls towards the south wing, Darcy felt like a madwoman. Her mind was going a mile a minute, both hoping that Steve would rescue her and hoping that he was somewhere far away, safe. Every step she took reminded her that this was really it, her world getting as small as the barrel of the gun pressed into her back. 

The training Natasha had insisted on when they first became friends flashed through Darcy’s head. How she would need to be observant, find a weak spot, wait for an opportunity to act, use anything she could reach as a weapon, put every cell in her being into the act of saving herself. 

All of that being easier said than done, of course. These two men were massive, and highly trained. She couldn’t outrun them, couldn’t take them down in a fight. They both had guns and likely wouldn’t hesitate to use them. She would need to be patient. 

The two men walked Darcy down the hall and stopped at the closed door at the end. The first man opened the door and the other man nudged her inside with the gun. Inside the room was a chair, covered in straps, with a heart monitor beside it. Darcy froze. She knew what that chair was, Bucky had told her all nabout that chair. It still woke him up sometimes at night. The men ushered Darcy forward, one of them grabbing a syringe from a small table. 

It seemed like Darcy’s time was running out, so she acted. As one of the men pushed her back into the chair, the man with the gun turned back to close the door. Darcy pulled one of the three Widow’s bites from her bracelet and hurled it at his back. He crumpled to the ground, twitching as Darcy threw another one at the remaining man. His arm shot out just before the Widow’s bite connected, and Darcy felt the pinprick of the syringe in her arm. With a heart full of horror, she looked down at the needle still stuck in her arm. Flinching, she pulled it out and threw it across the room. She jumped out of the chair and stepped around the unconscious men, running through the door. 

It only took a few steps before her suspicion of what she’d been injected with proved true. Her legs started feeling like they were made of lead, and she struggled to move them the way she wanted. She’d only made it halfway down the hallway, which now seemed to be getting longer and wavier, but she could feel her body giving up on her. 

She wasn’t sure how long the sedative would knock her out, but she doubted that no one would find her before she passed out. Her eyes zeroed in on a door to her right. It would have to do. 

As she got closer, her vision blurred, and what was once one door became two. As the two doors floated in her vision, Darcy forced her two right hands forward to grope along the wall until they connected to the two door handles, pushing it open. She heaved her body inside, happily noting it looked like a storage room. 

Darcy closed the door and forced her body forward, settling herself under a desk that mostly shielded her from view. She cursed her luck, gave a silent prayer to whoever might be listening that one of her friends would find her, and let herself pass out. 

*****

It was only a few minutes later that a red blur touched down in the parking lot a few feet away from Steve and Rodriguez. The face of Tony’s mask lifted, “Yeah Cap, you need to take that thing off, you look weird.” 

Steve took off the photostatic veil and caught his shield as Tony tossed it.

“Dude. You are not Captain America.” 

Steve took in the shocked face of Rodriguez, “Surprise.”

Tony stepped forward with an earpiece that Steve slipped into his ear, and a tablet showing the inside of the building. Steve watched as the scene showed Darcy being led down a hallway and into a room. Then the perspective switched to Darcy throwing a Widow’s bite at the men and running from the room. 

JARVIS then pulled up a blueprint with a flashing light in one of the rooms, “Captain, this suggests that Miss Lewis was injected with some sort of tranquilizer and has taken cover in this unused storage room. I am monitoring her vitals through the bracelet Sir made for her, and I believe she is unharmed.”

Steve let out a breath, “Alright, you let me know if anyone comes close to opening that door, or if she’s in any sort of danger.”

Tony took in Steve’s reaction and narrowed his eyes. “You seem… _worried_ , Cap.”

“I am worried,” Steve said as he studied the layout and camera feeds.

“Yeah, but you seem very worried. Like, whatever stick you had up your ass about Lewis is gone.” 

“Not now, Tony,” Steve growled.

Tony watched how shaken Steve was about Darcy being taken, and how determined he had gotten. That was the face of a man who had just had something very important taken from him. He would know, he’d had that very look on his face before, too. And it usually involved Pepper. Interesting.

“Don’t tell me you like her now.” 

Steve stormed over to Tony and got in his face, “Listen, whatever may have changed between me and Darcy is none of your business. Get that through your head. Right now all I’m worried about is getting her out of there in one piece and taking these assholes down.”

“That’s why we’re all here, Cap,” Tony softened. “She is going to be fine. That girl is a trooper.”

A moment later, the quinjet landed, Natasha rushing out, ready for battle. Clint hopped out behind her, nodding at the group before slipping behind the building to scope out the area. Natasha looked around. “Where is she?” Tony showed her the map and they started hashing out a plan. 

Natasha entered in through the employee entrance on Steve’s heels, studying him as they walked. “I’m happy to hear you two have decided to stop being so stupid.” 

Steve glared back at her. “Nat, do you really think this is the best time?” 

She shrugged. “We can discuss it later. It will give you plenty of time to think about how right I was when I tried to set you up with her all those times.” With that, she shot him a parting grin and slipped down a hallway. 

Thanks to Darcy’s snooping and Tony’s tech, the building was basically an open book to the team. The whole siege was over in a matter of minutes. SHIELD had already moved in and begun the process of gathering up the bad guys and clearing everyone else, and Steve took that as his sign that he was finished. 

Steve followed the instructions JARVIS gave him until he got to a nondescript door. He pushed it open and walked in, going to the corner and peeking under an empty desk to see the unconscious brunette lying beneath it. He gingerly scooped her up and cradled her in his arms. Natasha caught up with him on the way to the medical area SHIELD had set up, getting a quick peek at Darcy to make sure she was ok, before heading back to help round up all of the captured Hydra members. 

A crowd had gathered outside in the parking lot and as Steve waited for Darcy to be cleared by medical, he looked around, recognizing Darcy’s parents standing there. They must have heard about the fighting and come to see what was happening. He stepped up to them, still in Captain America mode, “Mr. and Mrs. Lewis.” 

They stared at him a beat, obviously recognizing him as an Avenger immediately. It took them a few moments more before they realized that they had already met. Darcy’s mother gasped softly and nudged her husband. “You...you’re Darcy’s...but.” 

Steve nodded and looked between the two of them, “Steven Rogers, not Buchanan. Not Darcy’s husband,” he paused. “But still someone that cares for her very much. You two are her parents and I hate to say that you have let her down. She is a good person, one of the best and she has always deserved more. She is going to be alright, but I hope that from this point on, you two treat her the way she should be treated. If you can’t do that, maybe neither of you have a place in her life anymore.” 

Steve turned on his heels and walked away. He knew it probably wouldn’t do any good, some people refused to change, refused to see that they were in the wrong at all, and he suspected the relationship between Darcy and her parents was going to be a mostly rocky one. 

But he had thought that about his own relationship with Darcy too, and it turned out he was very wrong. He headed back to the medical van, passing by Natasha, who had been watching the encounter. She stopped him. “Is that them?” 

Steve hesitated, and nodded. Natasha arched her brow and walked toward them, motioning at Tony to follow her. It made Steve immeasurably happy to see how much they all cared for Darcy, and he felt only slightly guilty for unleashing a pissed off Natasha on her parents. 

He ducked his head into the medical van and smiled at Darcy sitting in front of him. They’d flushed most of the sedative out of her system and she was awake, if still a little woozy. She smiled at him weakly. “Steve.” 

“Hey there. How are you feeling?” 

She shrugged. “They tell me I’m going to live.” 

He chuckled, stepping inside to sit beside her. “Well, I have to say, I am glad to hear that.” 

“Did Natasha really go yell at my parents?” 

“I am pretty sure she is doing that as we speak. Tony, too.” 

“Yay. Did you pull a Captain America Guilt Trip on them?” 

Steve huffed softly. “Yeah, I did. That ok?” 

Darcy nodded, humming softly. She reached out her hand towards him, and he took it in his, watching her with a smile.

Once she was cleared, Steve helped Darcy on the quinjet, she’d be sore for a few days, but she seemed to be alright. He helped get her strapped in, he sat beside her and let her lean against him. 

“Steve?” 

Darcy’s soft voice caught his attention, “Yeah, Darce?” 

“Thank you for saving me.” 

“Anytime.” 

“Steve?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about our date.” 

He chuckled, squeezing her a little tighter, “I’m not gonna let you forget about that, doll. I have plans for us.” 

“Ooh, plans. Tell me more.” 

He grinned and started telling her all about the date he had planned for when they got back to New York, once everything was settled and he could do it right. Eventually, she fell asleep, and Steve just held her, thinking that maybe, finally, things were working out the way they were supposed to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally made it to the end, you guys! Thank you for reading! Also, thank you so, so much for the kudos and the super kind comments and the subscriptions. You are all so lovely. :)


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